My Life, My Practice
by MissMontgomery
Summary: He wanted her. He made that clear the day they met. Now, as he got her, they're moving on the same pathway, in the same direction, at the same pace, growing and evolving. Together. And now, growing along with them, a baby.


**Hi to y'all fellow PPP'ers! : ) I finally decided to start from scratch and make a new story. Since my Grey's enthusiasm seem to fade a little nowadays, my love for Private Practice is greater than ever and this is what I decided on doing. It's CharCoop centered as they're my favorite couple: ) Haven't written much of that stuff yet but I hope it turns out okay. It's not very long but I definitely plan on writing longer chapters from here on. Give it a chance : )If you wanna be real awesome, press down on that review button; )**

**TGIF!**

This exact date will surely be recalled as a day of remembrance regarding Charlotte King's ten year old career. For one decade she's been practicing medicine and spending the last four of them in the big, black puffy, oh-so-mighty chief of staff leather seat. Yeah, she's that great. Her amazingness is what brought her from John Hopkins Medical School and a living hell of an internship to this advantageous position so soon. Normally any raw doctor, no matter how brilliant, would have to suck up to the fact; that no one were likely to get an opportunity this rare; having a chief's job literally thrown in their hands at the age of 28. Okay, two months to 29, but still…

That kind of thing was reserved to people of Charlotte's caliber only. And the number of those people existing for real could be easily compared to the amount of Charlotte's actual flaws. Yes, anyone would get it. That number was pretty damn close to zero…

She's been in the game for so many years and she has yet to call in sick. Never ever has she let her assignments rest a little. Oh. Well, that's not completely true after all. When Big Daddy died she held his hand and sat at his Alabaman bedside while Cooper did what was impossible for her to do. Turning off life support. Ending his life. With only a push on the button. That kind of mortal deed claimed a three days leave of absence. Scratching that, she's never been away.

Today though, she has a gnawing feeling will be a first. She's standing at the center of their bathroom, one hand pushing against the tiled wall, swaying a little on her feet. Today, the Charlotte King everyone knows, even the Charlotte _she_ knows the best, seems to be vanished. The brilliant, uptight, condemning, but caring and devoted, strikingly beautiful genius is showed back into the closet and locked in there. Today, a big part of her identity is being amputated. Today, she's just Char. Pure and undone, vulnerable, needy, sick and drained.

Oh, and six months pregnant.

Her slightly protruding baby bump is hidden behind her loose college hoodie and Cooper's pair of jeans is slack around her waist. She falls in front of the toilet and her saggy ponytail comes in the way when purging, waving today's breakfast, French toast and eggs off. She wipes her cheek and eyes her blonde locks that have leftovers of vomit on it, with disgust.

"Cooper…" She groans when leaning back to rest against the doors of the shower cabinet. She can hear his footsteps right on cue and he appears at the door a second later.

"Still not feeling a little better?" He has concern all written in his face as he bends down to her, wets a cloth and runs it across her cheek.

She barely has the energy to answer so she shakes her head, defeated.

"I wish there was something I could do" Cooper drops down on the floor next to her and clutches her shoulder.

"You can take over all this" She growls sourly, gesturing at her belly.

"Mind my words Charlotte" He chuckles, "I wish there was something I could _possibly _do"

"Oh" Her voice dies a little. Cooper inches his lips towards her face to kiss her cheek but she pushes him off as a new wave of nausea hits her and he sits there, helplessly watching her emptying her stomach for the third time this morning.

"Let me prescribe you some antiemetic drugs" He suggests, "It might ease things up a little"

"No" She refuses stubbornly, "Me and pills end badly" She eyes him guiltily as she starts to wash her face all over.

"It's not the heavy stuff we're talking about. It's practically aspirin"

"No" Charlotte is standing her ground, "no pills"

"So what are you gonna do? What if it gets worse? Why put yourself through hell when there's no reason to"

"I guess I just have to suck it up" She puts on her brave, but transparent face, "I'm chief of staff. I face challenges every day. This'll be a freaking walk in the park in comparison."

"You don't know that."

"Are you gonna stick with me or what? It's your child I'm carrying here" She snaps, "for that, the least I thought I could expect was some support."

"Of course you can. This, having you and a baby, is all I ever wanted. But I know pregnancy can be a tough path sometimes and thanks to your stubbornness, you're only making it harder on yourself. Harder than what's necessary."

"I'm not-"She says, lighthearted.

"Yes you are!-"

Counting four times now, vomit is welling up again. Worn out from doing this too many times for what seems like every day for months now, Charlotte lets herself fall backwards, trusting Cooper to grab her. He catches her in his arms and carries her 90 pounds back to their bedroom.

"I need to sleep" She moans in delight once she is being put on their fluffy mattress.

"Yes, you do" He agrees and wraps the blankets around her. Charlotte is biting her lip while she looks up at him, like an ashamed twelve year old.

"Do you think…they'll be okay?" At the hospital? If I take the day off?"

The words coming out of her mouth are sounding so strange, he lets out a sharp, disbelieved laugh, "Are you, Charlotte King, seriously considering-"

"Shut up, Cooper. You know I wouldn't do this if it wasn't for this godawful sickness."

"Yeah, I know that" He laughs a little, then pats her thigh as he sits down on her bedside, "you be good and stay in bed all day, okay?" Charlotte rolls her eyes as she tries to make herself more comfortable in the slugghish position Cooper's about to force her into. He taps the pillows awaitingly, expecting her to lie down completely. A little involuntarily she follows his direction, ending up all spread out horizontally as she keeps staring at the white roof without much enthusiasm.

"Great" He triumphs bossily. Copper don't get to boss over Charlotte a whole lot. Normally, it's the other way around. He's not gonna argue on it, not that he will get very far by doing it as she is his superior after all. But at home…and in bed…there's plenty of room for him to be the master…

She's noticing his amused face as she gets attentive, "is there any place you need to be or you're just gonna hover around here carrying that ridiculously cheerful face of yours?"

"Uhm, yes" He replies at last, "I'm gonna meet with some parents at the hospital and then I guess I have a few tiny humans lined up around noon"

"Then leave" She's ushering him off her as he plants a fat, wet kiss on her lips, "I'm not having you around looking at me with all that pity. I'm not a lost cause Cooper, just a tad sick"

"A tad sick" He quotes her awkwardly, "how about a tad pregnant?"

"A tad pregnant then" She agrees impatiently, "are you gonna leave me alone or what?"

"I'm gone already" He bends down one last time so he can get another taste of her sweet cherry lips. He's an addict. He can't do for one day without them.

"I wish I could stay" He says sincerely, "I'm gonna do my best to get home in fair time. You want me to pick us up something? Chinese?"

Just the slightest reminder of food makes Charlotte's face twist and turn in disgust and she clutches her stomach while making up gagging sounds.

"Got it" He eyes her anxiously, expecting her to jump up and vomit till she passes out over the toilet again, but this time, to the relief of them both, she seems able to keep the very little last of food she has left, down. He hate seeing her like this, suffering these bi effects and he's got to admit; he feels guilty when pregnancy messes with her the way it does now. Although the baby was planned and is eagerly awaited, even if it was Charlotte who popped the reproduction question herself, he feels as if it's him who's forcing this on her. He's more the baby person, after all. He's the one who has always nagged about kids and babies of all kinds, whether it's patients, godchildren, random kids they pass on the street, or the idea of having their own. And now it's not an idea anymore, it's an actual baby, a tiny human growing inside Charlotte's somewhat flat belly, developing ears, eyes, fingers and toes, a heart and its very own unique persona. A baby that's theirs. Who's gonna be brought to them in less than three months. Charlotte's due the 13th of June, according to Addison's precise estimation. He smiles. The little family of three are all gonna be children of summer. Cooper's born on the 4th of July, as the perfectly dedicated American he is, while Charlotte's the 14th of August.

"Cooper!" She snaps. He's been standing there, caught up in his own thoughts for some time now, he realizes.

"You haven't gotten rid of that lame ass face yet" She comments briskly, then her voice drops to a softer level, "what's wrong?" She reads him a little too well.

"Nothing!" He says a little too fast, "how can something possibly be wrong?" He touches her stomach and instantly feels a rush of eternal bliss. She looks at him, a little puzzled, but decides to let it go for now when Cooper start running an assuring hand through her hair.

"I'll see you in a few"

* * *

><p>He shuts his laptop and grabs his keys, ready to lock his office and the practice, too. It's almost 9 and everyone's long gone. He should have left with them but an impossible case claiming his immediate attention has held him trapped at the hospital for the entire day. Nine year old with advancing cancer. He sighs as he kills the lights in Violet's office. People expect happiness and happy ever afters when they grow up and finally takes the next advancing step of planning a child. It can scare the hell out of you, he's learned from his patients parents. But it changes you. To the better. It gives your life a whole new definition. And then, all of a sudden, they're bright and happy for the rest of their lives. Just like that. But they don't happen to see tragedy regularly. He does. And he has to step in when God shuts down and be the brave guy, he who can fight everything. But then, at a certain point, he can't. He's out of fighting powers. Patients lean on their parents who lean on doctors. And doctors, they lean on medicine. Medicine leans on science, the greatest of them all. But when science can't be leaned on anymore, medicine crumbles and falls back on you. And all you can do is nothing. As a doctor, you can't do without medicine. Without medicine you are…nothing. Your patient is a deflating balloon someone just stung. And you're standing there, helplessly watching life seep out of him. No one told the proud new parents to look out for the brutal fact; you might outlive your child and it might all happen in a millisecond.<p>

If something happens to his and Charlotte's child…He's not gonna make it. He would have to lean on her. But then, there's only so much extra weight she can take. She's no heartless. She's brave with a heart. She's science to him. And he? He's medicine. He just can't do without.


End file.
